Answers to the question "what does a digital planner do?" separated by those who work for a purely digital company vs those who do not.

1. What is a Digital Planner? Answers from those who work at an Interactive/Digital company: 1 I am a digital planner and I’ve given upa long time ago on trying to understand what a digital planner is :) 2 I'm am one. Involves heavy understanding of online metrics, and of the social media space. Media is less of a deal. 3 I work with social media, that means advertising in blogs and social websites. It's much more tatical. We think about the message the client already says, its posicioning and how we should work it in the social media cenario, thinking about which media we should work and what we should do there. 4 Understand not only planning, but the specialties of optimizing target space online 5 I am a Digital Planner. I create digital experiences for the brands and help the brands create stories that help consumers related to the brand better. 6 Digital planners work across brand strategy, ad strategy, media strategy, and design strategy. We are also more reliant on data than our advertising colleagues. 7 Digital strategist 8 As a planner at a digital agency we are not focused on creating advertising that is meant to persuade audiences to buy. It's more about creating compelling content and experiences that influence and shape behavior for our audiences. More insight to digitally focused ideas rather than campaign focused creative. To be a great digital planner you have to think a bit further into the process well beyond a brief and understand technology, experience navigation and new media opportunities. 9 Digital Planner. It's strange being the other agency in a relationship -- like a mistress. But a good spot to be in as we keep getting more and more work as TV/Print is cut. 10 I am one. I think we are much more focussed on the technology that will deliver the solution as this closely affects the final outcome. I also think that because it is a young discipline, knowledge is patchy so a half-arsed knowledge of what's possible with Jquery turns you into some kind of guru. 11 i ake things, not just come up with ideas. the ability to make proof of concepts or to visualize data is worth its weight in gold, and credibility gold when it comes to my clients and creatives. 12 Digital planner--Besides helping with the traditional planning areas (positioning, brand strategy, target research), I help to plan the overall user experience on the web and specific websites. We help plan paths, determine how one would want to interact with our brand online and what sites/areas that would be in. It goes beyond SEO to how a brand and your target live online. 13 Digital planning is not about what you say, it's about what you do. Creating ideas that can be advertised, not advertising ideas. 14 Focus on new media and the ways it impacts consumers/brands/conversations 15 * 16 I am a digital planner. I do a lot of my research around people's digital behaviors and usage. I try to encourage trans-media campaigns. I've been focusing on creating plans to execute and measure programs that span social media (social networks, blogs, UGC sites, etc.) 17 Digital Planner - In addition to traditional planning work (analyze brand, consumer, competition), we look at digital behavior and digital landscape. 18 i am a digital planner. you have to be faster and have a better instinct of the right moves for your brand in the fast moving digital world. forget studies be your own research manager and brand strategist. trust your own instincts. 19 I am not a digital planner but have digital planners in my group. They don't do anything different than classically trained account planners but they do work much faster at knowledge gathering. The culture they are most interested in is the digital one. 20 Not really a digital planner, but work in digital space. Digital planners are more tactical - about the user experience, vs. just the messaging. 21 As a digital planner, I like to think what I do in the digital space isn't any different, at least in approach. I consider a planners job to understand the intersection of culture, business and creativity - and I strive for that across the board. The biggest difference I've seen from my time at traditional agencies is a stronger focus on
stuff
- making experiences, content and products - not just ads. On a down note, not being AOR means not having full control over your client brands, which has been a bit of a mental shift (and struggle) for me. 22 I'm a digital planner. Biggest difference having come from the traditional side is how closely tied together media and creative (and planning) need to be. A widget is no good if it's not in the right place for people to use. And planners need to be much more about content--it's not just about message in digital. 23 we have to understand this new relationship between people and brand through digital media. 24 As a planner at a digital agency, I feel I function somewhat like a connections planner because the digital space is so vast and varied, so is the way consumers use each site, the way your brand should use/execute on each site. I never spent time thinking
What will the TV spot on HGTV look like vs. the TV spot on CNN?
in my past agencies. Now we spend alot of time thinking
How does this idea work on YouTube? Or what do we do on MySpace? And how can we enhance the experience on Chow?
We also work on web development projects and digital products/interfaces so partner with Interaction Designers. And we are closely aligned, when we can be, with media because there are more possibilities to push publishers to creative solutions (i.e., true brand integration on a site vs. banner ads. It's easier and more effective in digital than it is in print, tv.) We also (hopefully) have better measurement methods, more scientific ways to prove if our communications work or not, beyond the pre-post studies. 25 less driven by media demographic research, more by attitudinal consumer research. doing more ethnographic. don't do spreadsheets of media plans. solutions are more organic, unique, requrie more education within the client, more change management. 26 you have to have first hand experience with digital media, ie live on the web. media is not something that is bought, rather something you live in. 27 Undestand the balance between what the users want and the brands need to communicate. 28 I'm a digital planner and have always been that, so this is a tricky question for me. What's different about it? It's what I know. And I think that the skills that are specific to digital planners are soon becoming desired skills in any planner. It means knowing about the latest developments in technology, understanding the human side of technology (we're no longer talking about colliding worlds here - it's converging worlds), understanding how people use digital be it online, mobile or other in terms of more than just the stats, see the potential in newly launched digital offerings (what will work and why) and, of course, know what digital spaces can work for marketers and how. I think it's important to emphasise exactly how much digital planning isn't different from old school planning. You still need the foundation and skills that we have been developing and perfecting over the past 40 years since the invention of the discipline. If anything, it's the medium - digital - and the tools and opportunities that it offers for consumers, businesses and planners, that requires specific attention, and not necessarily the methods of planning. 29 I am a digital planner. I not only have to think in terms of messaging, but interaction and interfaces. The Innovative cycle, keep on top of everthing new, and convince clients to invest in a completely new and untried platform. 30 Digital Planner - Traditional agency 31 I am a planner at an interactive agency. Digital planners need all the same skills as a regular planner, but you also have to understand and stay abreast of emerging technologies to boot. Also need to think about things like experience design. 32 We are closer to management consulting - aligning enterprise resources to merge with marketing strategies. Technology and operations creeps into everything we do. 33 I'm a digital planner and the only difference is the knowledge of the digital media, the analysis we are able to do of each campaing due to the data we obtain of every single banner, web, etc we create. We also use to thinking forward, because we're in touch with online targets, we know where they are and it's easier to reach their opinions and insights (reading chats, blogs,etc) 34 More entrepreneurial/business (we create products and services, not just communication) 35 I am a digital planner. I do some campaign architecture and different IA. Also I track campaign with for example google analytics. 36 more interactive ways to reach 37 The main skills are the 1. ability to deal with complexity and rapid change, the medium and the way people interact with it changes very speedily, 2 the ability to work much faster that in traditional agencies, because Planners in digital have significantly less time afforded them to come up with thinking, 3 the ability to be more resourceful than traditional, again this is due to lack of resources, including research budgets to generate insights. This is based on the fact I worked ATL for over 10 years before going digital. You also need to have a good knowledge of technology, how it works, what it is used for by people, implications for the brand, business and so on. Specifically this would include an understanding of how things like various bits of technology integrate with one another such as XML feeds, API's and the like, this is required when assessing creative work, to see if it is feasible. Digital Planners also have to develop a broader set of insights in order to help ID, visual and tech people come up with creative ideas and to help develop and evaluate them. 38 I am a digital planner. I am focused on digital trends and spend a good deal of time understanding how consumers in various verticals use digital in their everyday life, from researching to web surfing to Facebook. I also have to understand traffic statistics and more technical terms. 39 user experience, customer journey, personnas - you gotta talk the talk and know a lot more about tactical delivery than trad planners 40 Provide strategic support in planning and implementing communication activities within the digital arena 41 More connecting people with companies 42 as said before a more hands on approach, more pragmatic, with a lesser emphasis on long term planning 43 As a digital planner, we tend to work with the media teams more than usual as they can be an integral role in the creative process more so than traditional media. 44 I am a digital planner... Being a digital planner is not different from an output standpoint - I'm still responsible for insights/inspiration/strategy. The difference is that research timelines and budgets are somewhat decreased since AORs do so much. I have to use intuition and secondary research a lot more than I'd like. 45 I do a lot of digital work, but don't consider myself a
digital planner
. To me it's the same job, except maybe with a bit more contact strategy worked in because the possibilities are so vast. Where I work we're seeing a bit of a split between the number-crunching testing and optimizing planners and the creative-leading consumer intuition planners. Ideally we work together, in practice we have our own accounts and are lacking on each. 46 Yes, Digial planning, specifically in healthcare. Healthcare is a bit different because you have a very captive and segmented audience (either a person with the disease or a caregiver of that person), but for digital, i think it's very similar to regular planning. It's all about the people. We work a lot with analytics to understand how people are using the internet (quant data and traffic and heat maps, etc) and a lot of our strategies come down from AOR's, but overall, it's just planning. We want to understand people, then understand how to help them. 47 I work for a digital agency, one of the biggest. In my opinion its the same, the only big difference is execution and application. You are doing the same work but applying it to a digita, utilitarian, value oriented, conversational context vs. a broadcast, one way context 48 I am a digital planner and think we are like others... open minded observers who plays with concepts and spreadsheets 49 I am a digital planner. I don't believe that what we do is drastically different than what more general brand planners do, with the exception of being experts in how the brand lives online versus offline, the way the target expects brands to behave online, what they are looking for from the brand online, etc. It's more about translating the brand for the online target consumers' lense - making it palpable for the medium as well as relevant to the consumer for that space. I do not think digital planners are as well-rounded as brand planners overall since they are limited to digital mediums, though that might change as OOH and TV become increasingly digital platforms. 50 I'm a digital planner. Without getting into a lot of mumbo jumbo... We help make experiences in the digital space more relevant and meaningful to the target by understanding and bringing to life how people actually use different media and the way they interact with the brand. In many ways, we're part contact planners, part traditional traditional planners, and part UX planners. 51 I'm one. Digital planning requires understanding not just what will make people listen, but the ability to understand what motivates them throughout the entire customer process. It requires the ability to understand experience mapping at a much deeper level and the ability to think about customer experience management at a much deeper level. 52 I'm a digital planner. Things happen faster on digital advertising, less bullshit and more results 53 I am a digital planner but with a traditional account planning background. you have to know the consumer journey, you have to know details of how the idea (microsite, application etc) will work, it's not single-minded the way atl planners work, it's multi-faceted 54 We dont just have to understand people, we have to understand completely what they do within this space. Its not like saying they look at this site, we have to understand what they are doing there and we have this data to hand. 55 Theer should be nothing different about planning in 'the digital space' (whatever that is). Planners should be interested in humans rather than abstractions. A 'digital planner' adds value by highlighting how humans relate to digital technologies, and the skill set required to uncover these insights should be exactly the same as a traditional agency planner. 56 I am a digital planner. We're just like brand planners only we work specifically in the digital medium. 57 I'm a digital planner. Sometimes it's hard working with clients who have an agency of record that does all of their planning/strategy work. Often the planner from the AOR uncovers the insights and delivers a strategy that we are forced to create a digital experience around. I would like to be involved with more problem solving from the beginning. 58 I am a digital planner. Biggest difference is in the amount of thought given to filtering insights and recommendations through a technology component (i.e., how does the target live online & what can we do to engage with the target online - what technology exists/can be invented, etc.) 59 I'm a digital planner. I don't see it as that different to other planning. But I see myself as different to less digital people. I love the internet, and am constantly fascinated by what I can learn through, on and in it. 60 The process is the same regardless of the tool. 61 I'm a digital planner and the main difference to offline planners is that digital tends to be more driven to results and to the application of branding from the offline 62 Pretty much everything that a planner does within comms planning, but I also need to think of projects' technical specs. Otherwise things don't go the way I planned, since there's an IT person at the end of the process. 63 First of all, to think about integrated projects (on/off). Understand as much as one can about technology, trends, innovation, social media (youtube, viral strategies, blogs, twitter, blip and stuff). 64 . 65 As a digital planner, I think spend more time educating my clients on digital media than traditional planners, and I probably spend more time thinking about media in general. A bigger difference is that I think digital planners may approach projects with a product design perspective rather than an ad campaign perspective. This means we consider the needs, expectations, and possible interactions of our audience more than others. I've seen lots of great TV/print ideas fall apart as soon as they are considered from a digital perspective because they don't fit the medium. Oh, I also have access to fewer research dollars and I find myself having to make do with less information. Usually we get information from the traditional agency, but don't get to do our own research. 66 - 67 The different is the closest contact whith iformation architects 68 we as information architects makes the scope, the map and the prototype of a website. During the process we communicate often with the media, account, creative and technology area. So we work during all the processo of building websites. 69 I am a digital planner and you really have to understand how all of the media can work together and how to create utility for people instead of just tell a story. 70 a lot more hands on, with engagement preocupation number 1 71 I'm a digital planner, and we must consider the deep implications of internet being a business environment further then only a medium. 72 I am a digital planner, however we do plan for offline because when you think of digital you have to considerate all the kinds of communication and activations of your brand. Basicly the diference is that i have to plan know all the tools in the web and how people interect with them. Having this in mind we can plan strategic and tatical for each digital enviroment 73 digital planners work with computers 74 I'm a digital planner. Background in linguistics, computer science, including original research. Commercial head, but understand the digital craft. 75 Planning is planning, however, for digital you need to be more technology forward and also plan for experiences not just communications You need to be able to informa and inspire work that ranges from interface design/product design, applications, web sites as well as advertising/communications. It is less focused on brand planning or communications positionings although that is also a part, but only one part. It takes account planners a minimum of 6 months before they can be productive in a digital environment, regardless of the level. 76 Digital planning and traditional planning is fundamentally the same. Its understanding consumer behaviors and the motivations behind it. The biggest difference is how digital is used. Since it is mostly results driven, digital is very similar to direct in most cases and focus on CRM and analytics. Because of this, the work tends to be more tactical (e.g. how should we approach a specific channel like social media) vs. a big idea (e.g. brand strategy). The more interesting work in digital treating it as product development rather than pure communication. Since digital is increasingly becoming the first point of contact between brand and people, it serves as not only as an extension to the brand, but also a product experience on its own. So usability and experience design is more important in digital than traditional. 77 Yes, but was a non digital planner until recently. The difference is a strong understanding of technology and the way people are communicating rather than just concern over their hopes & desires. It also requires being able to think conceptually about technology as a part of the solution and how to brief programmers as well as copywriters on how to get the job done. 78 I feel like that I do is somewhat more like a connection planner--thinking about brands, but also thinking very specifically about what message we are giving to each audience on the site. I work very closely with IA and media to ensure that my audience recommendations turn into personas and specific use cases to meet user needs. In the end, it's WAY more about meeting user needs than telling people what we want them to hear about our brand. 79 Digital Planner - all the same principles apply from a research and planning perspective. Just need to think in terms of a larger experience rather than a one-way message. I came from a traditional brand agency 7 months 80 Digital Planners here, do not set strategies. Strategies are set with traditional shops. 81 I am a digital planner. Understanding and representing the voice of the consumer is still key, but the context for communication is in the digital world. Not about TV campaigns but more about how they live their digital lives. How to reach them and then deliver the content the need. 82 I work with corporate and public web-sites (not digital advertising). So, understanding all kind of webtrends and how we can use them for inter- and intranetsites is important. Make sure that everything communicates right. Pushing our designers as for what is possible. Make sure our processes get better. 83 I am predominantly digital but I've come from a 'classical' background. The main difference between the two for me is the difference between somebody who knows what you should say and what you should do. 84 I am one. Digital planners need to be an entrapreneur. 1. Find an opportunity. - thats the same as a traditional planner. 2. Make that happen. - This is new. We're not making a TV ad we 're doing something which has never been done before. You cannot just write the brief and burger off for lunch. 85 I am a digital planner and one's job is heavily focused on being able to identify the most effective channel in terms of audience engagement. Sadly more so than actually being able to focus on a creative thought that brings the product to life. 86 Consumers strategy 87 Social Media SEO Information Architecture 88 Yes. It's about offering experiences and not statements. The ability to sensitively target. Understanding and utilising groups of people to boost your message. Recognising and skirting the tech and social fads. 89 We think digital 90 half&half: trained
traditional
& digital planner. now working in a digital agency so I am more kind of a digital planner. digital planners: more skilled in knowing how digital channels work & how communication works within these channels, perhaps more hands on in terms of a tactical approach for digital channels - yet without neglecting the media neutral approach when the task is not about planning specificially for digital channels 91 I'm a digital planner. Digital planning is different because everything changes really fast. Something that excites people today, 6 months later is boring like death. 92 I work in a digital planner, but my take is that there's no such thing as a digital planner. Or if there is, I'm not one of them. The whole world is becoming increasingly digital, what's the point of having a brand planner vs a digital planner? 93 I'm a digital planner. My work is less to define what a brand is and more to define how a brand should behave. It doesn't meand I have to think only about digital medium, I just have a better understanding of them and how to integrate them in a any campaign. 94 I am a digital planner and have always worked in digital. I think that understanding the relationship between technology and human behavior especially how they change each other place an even larger role with digi planners. 95 Undersand and be part of the digital space, how consuemrs use it and the opprtunities for brands to collaborate and gain traction and excitiement in this area. 96 Im Digital(although I normally classify myself as Integrated with a digital expertise) We have a whole spectrum of social psychology, human computer interaction aspects to understand as our delivery touchpoints range from computers through to mobile phones. A mind that can thing along data analysis is quite useful Someone who can demystify the many technologies, platforms etc. 97 I am a digital planner. Planning isn't much different in digital than above the line, all that has changed is the medium, not the very nature of the discipline. It is still all about finding out what makes people tick, coming up with a strategy and eventually an idea to communicate with them. However digital is much more about getting people to interact and DO things and I think there are some overlaps between information architecture and people who work in user experience design. Also, the structure of digital agencies tends to be more fluid and collaborative so planners will collaborate with all sorts of different people (creatives, techies etc) at all different points in the planning cycle. Whereas it used to be fairly linear; write strategy and creative brief then hand it over to creative team, these stages now overlap more and planners are involved throughout the whole process and strategy is moulded as we go along. 98 I think the difference is that digital planners think the communication online as a priority within social media, closer relationship with the consumers. 99 As a digital planner, the focus is on how a brand can help the community and not how the brand can take a message to that community. The people are more important than the brand or product. 100 I'm a digital planner. I have to think on insights that fit the brand and are related to the digital contexts, how peo`ple live the brand on the internet, that can be different than how they live it outside. 101 102 Am one. I think we know more about what's possible with the internet, and are maybe fighting more for
internet users
than we are for
consumers
, for better or for worse. 103 I'm a digital planner and I belive what most differs us form the rest is the fact that we think how users and companies can have experiences that goes beyond real world. We try to use everything we can think of to make internet and mobile tools closer to everyone. 104 ... 105 I'm one but just started in this job. Globally, I'll have to have always the media (online in this case) on mind. It's not
big idea-->media
but the other way round. 106 Digital planners like I are pioneers. Everything is usually done at the very first time. You always have to have killer presentations. 107 I am a digital Planner. The biggest difference is that we usually don't have the same ammount of money but we have to show almost the same sort of results. Clients don't usually spend money for research, so we have to work with search data and ou deliverables go far beyond the planning role, like almost being part of the creative and account teams. 108 I'm a digital planner. The difference in what we do is all about how large the web can be part of the companies strategies, like sales channel, relationship channel, etc. So we are asked not only to solve communication and brand problems, but to solve problems in this other areas 109 More technical - but it's a case of the medium. 110 I think that planner must be open to the new trend. I have experience in digitalis because the behavior of the consumer is different in online means. We must much more understand that another generation comes, criticism, with but determination where the brand must talk with them otherwise dead 111 search for trends, make a strategy and then add creativity 112 My USP is integrated campaign planning - specifically integrating online and offline channels 113 I help finding inspiring insights to create creative strategies in line with business objectives for our clients. I am also involved in creating and developing online media / contact strategies. With a strong interest in digital innovation I create presentations to inspire clients. 114 I am a digital planner, we help build experiences that drive business value. Answers from everyone else: 1 Digital planner. More focused on tech / media. Have to do a bit of data stuff, but not to the degree of DM. 2 n/a 3 Just a traditional planner. 4 I am not one. They are concerned with strategic planning of digital media -- knowledge of digital use habits of select audiences and metrics-based plans. 5 6 ? 7 I'm not a digital planner. I believe they're into digital trends, find insights in interactive behavior and technology. 8 i'm not. they over specialise 9 I'm not a digital planner. In my opinion, digital planner should do what a planner does and also have a strong expertise in digital tools. 10 I'm not one. I think they should create a strategy for a brand experience online. 11 I'm not a digital planner. Look specific on digital behaviour and do a lot of scanning for new techniques and trends in the digital world. 12 Digital isn't as integrated as we would like to see in our global geography. 13 I´m not a digital planner. But i think it is merging together. Digital Planners analyze social media structures and are totally involved in it. They find new technical possibiltes and innovations transfering into
real
life. 14 Same job as a traditional planner, it's a media-neutral job - well at least it's supposed to be 15 Planning, engagement planning, media planning 16 not a digital planner and not exactly sure what one is. 17 Not one. They mostly plan for a specific media channel - online. However, the best are like the best
traditional
planners - they plan for social ideas (nod to Gareth Kay) 18 I expect planners to be digitally native *and* able to think about media. I think planners who peddle themselves as only one of these are living in the past. 19 digital planners help make web content work harder for a clients brand... Kind of what a general planner is supposed to do... 20 n/a 21 I act as a digital planner side kick- it is not my main job, but I help out with finding consumer insights and trends online. We look for patterns that emerge from the conversations that take place across the web. Digital Planners go into more of how to use the web most effectively. Utilizing the web to make our products
sticky
versus throwing them out into the web and hoping they stick. 22 I am not a digital planner, but from my understanding they do the same thing as traditional planners, just with a stronger understanding of the digital space. However, with clients increasingly seeking business/communications solutions and not just digital solutions we're all being forced to be channel agnostic. 23 Digital Planners think about how to put a brand in a digital world. They think in how to interact with the people and how to be relevant in digital media. 24 I'm NOT a digital planner. I think a Digital Planner is responsible for 1) keeping up with trends and new technologies that take place online and in the intersections between off/online, and then 2) designing/strategizing new and innovative ways for brands to use these tools in order to create deeper relationships with culstomers/culture. 25 I am not a digital planner in the sense that it is not my title or anything. Everyone in our planning group is a
brand planner
without distinction of expertise. I would imagine a
digital
planner specializes or concentrates on interactive creative and social media. If that is the definition, then I do have digital planning experience. 26 I am the digital planner at my agency. Most other planners at my agency don't understand or keep up with new technologies and social media enough to form thought-leadership. They also don't understand how to work with interaction designers and think about consumer behaviors rather than just perceptions. 27 Read and read again all Umair Haque's stuff since 2004. 28 Not a digital planner. I think they tap into human behaviors and beliefs to create meaningful digital experiences. 29 we don't have a separate digital planning group, and im actually glad we dont. i think the best planners in the future will be those who can be effective in all environments- whether its tv or the social web. the idea and the media are increasingly the same IMO, so we need people who can think across all of these different spaces. 30 this person can do online marketing strategy, work out online targeting and partnerships to raise brand profiles online, work out digital brand experience and then do killer analytics 31 Not one. They are not that different; they just have a better sense of how an idea or strategy will work digitally. 32 I'm not one. Planning is planning, at least when you take the traditional view of planning -- i.e. that planners craft message. When you take a broader view of things and assume that planners should be charged with both message and context (traditionally the domain of communications planners or IMC planners or whatever you want to call them) -- where the industry is going, in my book -- then a digital planner is a completely different beast. Understanding the nuance of the vast number of digital channels, and how to craft message so as to be appropriate in any of those channels, is a big job and one which should be performed by a specialist. 33 N/A 34 I'm not a
digital planner
, but our planning department is well versed in the digital space. We have a blog and constantly interact with our digital department. 35 Not a certified digital planner (if there's such a thing) but do play in the landscape. Lead Discovery and Strategy phases in redeveloping websites. Personas. UX mapping. Usability testing. Digital channel planning. Creative briefing/concepting for interactive marketing campaigns. 36 Not a digital planner (and think the distinction goes against the spirit of what planners do; culture is culture [be it online or in-world]). 37 Not one. I think they have a more keen insight into user behavior in the digital world. They are specialists and on top of everything new in the digital world, but able to prioritize and think through implications for individual audiences as well as broad cultural impact. They might also have a bit of UX know-how. 38 I am not a digital planner. At my agency, we have strategy and we have interactive. Sometimes we overlap. I think that's probably what a digital planner is. Someone who is the overlap on purpose. 39 I have worked on several digital projects and consider myself pretty well versed in digital strategy 40 I am not one. They find ways to expand the brand into online, mobile, viral, or non-traditional channels. 41 insights about how people use the digital media space and developing strategies specifically for those mindsets/behaviors. 42 I am not one and I think their ideas are how to make connections with consumers in non-traditional digital ways, but the ideas still come from the same places 43 They are ahead of the curve about any digital trends and understand how digital can be leveraged differently 44 I'm not - understanding of participation, conversation and how technology can create value 45 I am not a Digital Planner. 46 not a digital planner. what do they do? I suppose understand the expanse of digital medium, have deep knowledge of the cutting edge tech, and possibly push the envelope 47 r 48 Digital. Yes you could say that. It is different because it requires a deeper level of understanding and insight into the cyborg world, the fusion of people and technology. 49 I think it involves more digital strategies such as eCRM progrmas social media website 50 I'm not one tho we do some digital planner.. I think they are meant to specific insights into the online market, how people interact and behave online and what kind of marketing tools would work. also keeping in touch with the latest tech developments and new ideas re how these could potentially be of benefit to clients and brands. Creating an online presence for the brand, running web campaigns and working w the rest of the team on integrated campaigns. recommending best course of action for the web 51 . 52 I am not. They recommend connection points online 53 I'm not one. They aren't planners. 54 Applying same planning principles to the digital space but more focused on user experience than branding 55 I'm not one. Digital Planners in a media agency are essentially old school 'planner buyers'... mixing the intelligence needed for planning, and the negotiation and precision skills of buying. 56 Knowledge about social ideas, ability to start conversations, comprehend clientes and constumers minds and behavior, creativity 57 Not one - but have some working for me. They are more business / quantitative oriented. They have great benefits in this regard, but also have some learning to do in really understanding brands. 58 not one. i think they're a hybrid iA, uX, web-savvy thinkers, doodlers 59 I'm not but I think their job is to find ways to organically connect with people in the online world 60 i dont work with digital planning and notice that in brazil this is a very very new area, most of the market, really big agencies included, are just too naive and conservative and slow - most of them dont even know twitter and want to translate printed ads into websites or the most annoying briefing
create a viral for youtube
or
lets get an award in digital because we dont get one in print ads anymore
. its just not right specially because brazilians seem to sort of dominate everything, orkut, tweeter - medium class brazilians are very much on-line people and very little is given to them. 61 I am partly one, although I look at digital behaviour and attitudes, and think about how they impact on technological developments and design strategies. I think that the sociological implications of new technologies and their usage are going to be of increasing importance to creative and media agencies in the years to come, and the research-savvy digital strategist will grow in significance. 62 Digital planning is not that different than traditional planning. The end product is online, but they still have to think through the consumer, cultural environment, communications landscape, etc. 63 Its not always about boiling down to a single reductive thought and one creative execution 64 More design-centric process, Understand how to use data visualization techniques, more advanced information gathering techniques (rss feeds, aggregators, etc.) 65 I am not one in title, but know more about digital than most people here. I have written RFPs and designed digital components of my clients' communications plans. I have lent expertise when clients ask
should we be on Twitter?
Oh god. 66 I'm not a digital planner. I believe they have to understand the issues, the consumer behavior and reach strong insights as any other planners, but also, to deliver a digital architecture, based on technical skills. 67 i am not a digital planner. They focus on understanding consumer behavior online 68 I used to be a 'digital' planner and then moved up(?) to 'above the line'. The lines seems absurd to me. Planners write briefs to create big ideas, digital planners are part planner / part UXP / part digital media planner, so they are focused on digital executions of big ideas. 69 I'm not specifically a digital planner. However, I think digital planners help brands understand where their products fit in the digital sphere and how customers relate to and spread a brand story online. 70 not me. its basic the same but have to deal with brand/campaign concepts already created. 71 n/a 72 digital planner : find some usual users insights, transform digital ideas into business solutions 73 Not a digital planner. More into online experiential planning. 74 There should no longer be such a title, it's utterly ridiculous. There are no press planners, Mail planner - it's jsut a channel Arghhhh!!!! 75 Not sure 76 I am a digital planner. In this capacity I must have as good an understanding of traditional media (
offline
) as an traditional planner, as well as digital media. Responsible for identifying new and emerging media opportunities (not just online). 77 I like to think I'm a planner and that digital, connection, and traditional are all flavors of the day. 78 Not one, but outline effectiveness on brand through online and digital comm. 79 anyone who tells you there's such a thing as a digital planner is a liar. not anymore than there were ever print or TV planners. sure there are different skills to add digital, but come on.... 80 no 81 I'm not specifically, but i do lots of planning on digital projects. It's really not so different. 82 I'm not a digital planner. But i think they study the best strategy to bring people of mark. 83 i'm not a digital planner - i think they do the same as the rest of us, except they know more about (a) what can be done in digital channels and (b) how people use them 84 I´m not a 100% digiplanner but I work integrated with the interactive team to design relevant dinamics for a digistrat (how the proposal fit in the target behaviour). 85 Am not one. I assume they are an account/digital media planning hybrid 86 I plan for online (70%), print (20%), radio, out of home, etc. In my opinion, online planning is getting harder as more and more consumers are aware of online tactics and can now choose to void them. 87 n/a 88 I'm not one. They handle everything web-related with an emphasis on social networks. 89 I am not a digital planner. What I think they do is looking at the big picture for every small project, help executives to think big, brief creatives and ensure work is on strategy 90 Digital planning would be just a part of my job. understand how brand lives digitally and how consumers engage with digital media and applications. 91 I work in an interactive dept but also service the agency's clients as well. For interactive I conduct a lot of usuability studies, ethnographies and idi's to ascertain POBA - perception, opinion, beliefs, and attitudes about a concept site, a brand, or the messages about a particular brand. 92 not a digital planner, but have extensive experience with ethnography 93 I plan for all media. I need to be better at digital though. They know a lot of what's going on digitally, from great campaigns, to what people are talking about and how they're talking about it, cool new technologies, etc. 94 I'm not one - I think they take the big idea and turn it into a digital execution. I also feel there are many different itinerations of a 'digital planner' - from a conventional brand planner to a user experience designer. 95 I have been asked to become one within my agency, but I don't really know what exactly they do. I assume they are the experts in knowing how consumers behave online and the best practices for messaging online. 96 No. Strategists specifically equipped with the skills and expertise to maximize a brand's/business' web presence/activity 97 Not a digital planner. I think they have a harder job since it's harder to engage people in a online conversation. 98 N/A 99 n/a 100 More executional than traditional account planners 101 i do digital planning - consumer knowledge, digital trends, all leads to aiding communication 102 Part of my responsibility is digital planning. Crucial to digital planning is understanding and being abreast of the tech field. However, it is NOT chasing the newest thing. You need to understand the services in relation to the consumer and your client and be able to articulate what each technology gets you, rather than what it can do. 103 implementing the web 2.0, interactive concepts 104 marketing architecture, connections planning, translating creative strategy to different types of mediums and creative types, technology innovation strategy, social media, managing digital strategy with US and IA folks, working with digital media start up businesses in a start up role. 105 im a media planner 106 Am I one... yes and no. I think we should plan experiences from beginning to end. This includes digital but is not limited to digital. I think a planner's skillset needs to be flexible and adaptable. 107 Not one. I think they write briefs for digital campaigns. 108 Not a digital planner. I think digital planners figure out where people will be most engaged with the message. 109 I'm not one, but I consider digital in every strategy I work on. I no longer see the point of uniquely 'digital' planners. 110 I'm not one. They communicate the brand message in the digital space 111 I am. Much more results & operational oriented for we can't think of an idea without its execution. More what's next driven as well (huge infos cruncher) 112 i'm not one- but i think digital planners add more insight into consumers' online behavior 113 Would seem to have a distinct focus on digital channels and digital audience behaviour - seems odd to make any distinction though. 114 Nope, I haven't heard this title specifically but I would guess an Account Planner in a digital agency. Research, strategy, planning activities for the all digital mediums. 115 I think digital planners build helps creating a digital presence for the brand. I believe that the main difference is that 'traditional' planners have a broader perspective regarding the brand. 116 we don't specialize in digital planning - we work on social planning and behaviorally driven planning - which plugs into what digital can do - i'm skeptical on the title digital planner - many are either just tech people who blog or usability people. 117 Not one. They know how to use apps 118 NA 119 I am not a digital planner. I think what they bring to the table is an expertise on how to engage consumers more effectively in the online space. General planners should have a basic knowledge but these guys are the experts on defining strategies and measuring effectiveness. 120 I am one... I think that the main difference is a different mindset about technology and how to involve creatives. Not after the brief, but during and even before. 121 not one - suppose they do what I do only have a greater focus and understanding of consumer and brand behavior in the digital space 122 Mobile Marketing Planning 123 I am a digital strategist. It's different because it's a different medium. Digital *can be* a better way to actually converse with people. The process seems very similar. 124 no idea 125 no 126 Not one, dont exactly know 127 I am and I'm not I'm still struggling with distinctions 128 My experience makes me believe that they tend to be more tactically focused - and to be fair, I think the notion of
digital planner
is flawed. If planning = culture and digital is a cornerstone of culture, than a planner is a planner. It's a an example of this industry goofing digital again. 129 not a digital, they hang out on the internet all day then state the obvious 130 bring ideas to life through new medium 131 Not one. A specialist in digital culture, behavior, motivations, impacts and measurements, new developments. An anthropologist of technological culture and driver of innovation. 132 we should all be digital planners. it's absurd to have this as a discipline 133 I am not a digital planner. They focus on the world of digital.... 134 I consider myself a Propagation Planner who uses transmedia platforms including digital. Plan not for the people you reach, but the people that they reach. 135 i plan digitally but not exclusively - the difference is a requirement to understand how people use technology and what needs are being met when they do so; just as a person in retail must understand the basic dynamics of shopping, so too must I understand the basic dynamics of the digital world. plus i must understand the measurement metrics and the strategies/approaches my digital media partners use in order to distribute our creative. it requires quantitative fluency. 136 Digital planners are at the forefront of web technology and innovative way to reach consumers. They know the web savviness of specific demographics and are well versed in executing effective strategic campaigns in the online/mobile world. 137 XXX 138 Not a digital planner. They are specialist planners with expertise in digital communications. They typically have less broad brand planning focus and more channel focused. It is very difficult to find a planner who is really strong on the digital side and the brand side. Frankly I think connection and digital planners should be one and the same. 139 i am not one. but i think they understand consumer behavior in the online world, so they can recommend how to best communicate with them in this space. everything from the way to design a website, to which type of online tool to use for specific targets (like social media? and app? a microsite etc). 140 Not a digital planner. Similar skill set as regular planner, but more in touch with the craft, production or implementation of digital ideas. More immersed. (As a point of comparison, I know many
regular
planners who don't watch much TV at all. ) 141 marry brand ideas to technological opportunities 142 Not one, but they have particular expertise in knowing the newest technologies/opportunities online and constantly track them as part of their daily activities. 143 No area of expertise 144 To think of how to use the different channels of the interweb. 145 dfsdf 146 Not a digital planner. I think they are more focused on emerging technologies and the culture around them. Maybe a bit more involved in the techie details - usability of websites, etc. 147 not officially, one, but I do do some digital strategic planning 148 I'm not. I think digital planners do pretty much the same stuff as non-digital, except they now a lot more about technology. But in the end our job is to understand consumers so we can create a more efficient communication for the brands we work with, no matter what media we are thinking of. 149 They help web designers to develop a communication interesting for the consumer target they have in mind, according to how and where they are used to surf the web. 150 Digital planning is much more technical than account planning. They deal with browser differences and on line strategies. 151 digital things 152 Not a digital planner. Digital planners try to replicate viral stuff and educate clients on social media, claiming to be social media experts themselves, even though many can't even write a line of code. 153 Think more about behaviour opportunities (and connecting it to revenue opportunities) than just messaging ones. 154 not one; digital planners are half strategy and half content producers, the strategy bit being a combination of knowledge of what can be done and understanding how people engage with the digital space 155 I'm not a digital planner, but certainly have aspirations to be come one. Luckily I have a wonderful digital department that is giving me the learnings I need to become useful to them, from both a planning perspective, and from a digital perspective. Thus far, their needs have required me to have a better understanding of digital landscapes (by industry per client) and to understand what makes one online experience better than others, all in all, it feels like a bit of a hybrid of a traditional planner role, a channel planner role and a digital creative role. It's understanding the medium, the way the consumer interacts with it, and where the opportunities exist. 156 digital planners should be more like interaction planners and figure out usability and such in addition to the human insight. digital planners are also digital media planners as well. 157 n/a 158 . 159 my work involves digital planning, but not purely. digital is only one element of a broad mix - it may need a different mindset to stay abreast of the constantly changing technologies, but they are simply servants of strategy; tolls that are means to an end. 160 I'm kind of. I do some researches in social networks, like Facebook, Orkut, Twitter e anothers. 161 not one- helping the agencies pioneer a new medium 162 Not a digital planner-- would assume they study audience behavior in the digital sphere to determine the right media and how to use it in the best way. 163 I am not one - we asked a junior planner to become one...not sure she knows what the hell it encompasses. but she's pretty quick on her feet...and twitters a lot. 164 i'm not a digital planner. but to be honest, i'm not sure how their job differs from mine. how are they planning differently, since occasionally we do digital strategy as well. 165 I'm not. 166 I am not one, but I think they create marketing strategies to be used in didgital and emerging media 167 I'm not one. I don't think this is a meaningfully different job from a regular planner, except that a digital planner is expected to know digital better. Really any decent planner should be a good digital planner 168 not a digital planner, though i do oversee the interactive portion of my account. imagine they would plan similarly to any other kind of planner but be more knowledgeable about people's online behavior, motivations etc. 169 Representing consumers from a digital perspective. strategy and touchpoints based on their online persona and behavior 170 They do a similar thing to the rest of us but have a better understanding of the digital landscape and people's behaviour within the digital environment so can understand the effects and behaviours they are trying to change in more detail. 171 i'm not one. they seem to just add a little bit deeper knowledge about digital media envionments - ie, stuff you might not have heard of otherwise. 172 Stuff online 173 not a digital planner. not sure what they do. 174 I am not a digital planner. I think that digital planners are leading what is happening in the digital space. It's their job to create and predict what consumers will want on-line. 175 I am not a digital planner, I work with one that calls himself an Interactive Strategist, and he gives presentations on social media, but I (brand planner) am also considered a social media guru. I really don't know what makes a digital planner specifically a digital planner. 176 Used to be a digital planner - have to take into account the medium and the user interaction much more 177 understand user experience and what people are looking for in a web experience 178 Monitor conversation and pereceptions in digital space. Provide insight as to what creative will work on-line. 179 I'm a planner - which means I dig digital - doesn't that make me kind of a digital planner? 180 x 181 not one; think all planners need to do exactly the same thing - understand the brand, the consumer, the environment and then find the best opportunities/strategies - in any media. 182 not a digital planner, but am currently being tasked with social media strategy. 183 I am not one, I am not sure exactly what do they do, but them seem to spend a lot of time surfing the net! 184 (I suppose) I'm a digital planner. I came from a digital agency, however, I don't really describe myself as a digital planner. I'd say I'm more progressive in that I tend to approach problems more broadly than my more traditional team members. I think the only reason someone would actually call me out as a digital planner is because I've taken the time to try my best to understand analytics, user experience and IA and how those things relate to my job as a planner. I also don't believe my only concern with a web site should be whether or not the brand is articulated properly. I think planners should be involved in the process of determining how a clients' business objectives can connect with a users site objectives online, what we want the user to do and given our knowledge of them, how we can get them to do it. 185 I am NOT a digital planner. I think they work to create strategies that take advantage of and enhance the role of digital in our lives. 186 Not a digital planner. I see digital planners as the people who examine how people interact in the digital space (mobile and internet) and how brands can relevantly and effectively connect with those people. I think all planners should be thinking in this area, even if they aren't officially
digital
planners. 187 188 The most interesting part of digital planning to me (as an outsider) is the focus on the entire interaction, starting from offline through to the online component. Considering the target in the context of the transaction and (hopefully) adding value beyond the message. 189 Not one - i think they do what non-digital planners do. 190 not one. no clue waht they do. 191 I'm a social media planner. We work usally with other partner agencies. Our job is basically more tatic, the strategie of the brand, positioning and these stuff are made by the partner agency and we adapt it to social media. With our main partners we start participating of the process from a part more in the beggining of the work, helping them thinking more social and not only adapting what they have. Really fun. Biggest challenge: keep updated. 192 this is a big controversy in my agency. I would say they create the strategy for the digital space, but
leak
into traditional areas. It's silly to make a line between the two... we should be one. 193 I am a digital planner and it's different because I have to learn new programs (like Radian6 - an online conversation monitoring tool) and learn PR essentailly with bloggers, etc. I also learned how important conversation is versus when I was doing traditional where it was all about the brand and the consumer. Now it's been taken a step further and made me a stronger planner. 194 Planning is focused on digital space, but I don't know that it is any different that any other planning. A good idea is a good idea. Digital media is a space for it to live. You still have to understand people, the brand, market, competition, etc. 195 Not one. Doubt it's much different than what offline planners do, just more highly in tune with social networking, mobile, etc 196 . 197 not one. planning digital display ads 198 they only specialize in the digital arena 199 Not one. Digital planners are specialized in their knowledge of people's needs and rituals in interactive/online 200 not a digital planner 201 Not digital. More tactical planning. 202 Strategic Planner. Whatever needs to be planned, digital/non-digital, whatever, i'll plan it. 203 Not a digital planner. I think there job is to be a planner like any other, but understand how consumers engage with the digital space and how brands can best leverage it so that their brand is woven into the consumers life organically. 204 I'm not one. I guess the difference is that they have some technological expertise, understand how the digital channels work, what's out there, how they're used now as well as a sense of their potential. In short, I expect they're just more tech savvy and fluent. 205 digital planner. thinks 360 or social viral 206 I am not a digital planner but I have worked with a few. I think good digital planners should bring in two things 1) an intimate understanding of how people interact with brands through digital media (and how brands can meaningfully engage them) 2) Good instincts on how to make an idea contagious through the use of digital media 207 i am not one, they are planners who work in digital marketing agencies. 208 I'm not a Digital planner. From an engagement standpoint, Digital planners bring to the table a more informed understanding of how best to connect/communicate with different audiences online. 209 I'm not a digital planner. And frankly speaking, other than the details of work, such as drawing out the sitemap, I don't think there are much difference between a traditional planner and a digital planner. 210 Not. Digital interactive stuff. 211 plan for the digital space 212 not a digital planner but i think they are information and experience architects for the digitial medium 213 I'm not one : I think they help brands behave in the most relevant way in the online space 214 I'm not one. They work mainly on digital accounts? Account planning with a focus on all things digital? Communication in the digital space.. 215 I am not a digital planner. for me there shouldn't be a significant difference any more between a traditional planner and a digital one, as we all have to be digital savvy and know the business. 216 n/a 217 I am one. Its two fold: 1. We stay up to date with the technology people adopt, their behavior with that technology, and the emotional states they may take with them. We then plan ways for our brands to participate with them. 2: We recognize the new tools available to advertisers in the digital space that help our brands decrease waste and increase the bottom line. Or something like that. 218 Im not and i dont believe in 'digital planning'. Strategy is inherently media/channel agnostic. Execution and activiation is channel relevant. We need digital media and digital production people, not digital strategists. Closest maybe would be a digital comms/engagement strategist. 219 I am not one - but we don't have them at my agency - and my role includes leading holistic work from all agencies/experts, which means engaging those planners where relevant. 220 I am a digital planner. we often get put into a box after regular planners, although that is changing. 221 - 222 A deeper knowledge on tech aspects of this world 223 My current responsibilities lie in the field of experiential marketing. (That includes activation and digital.) Digital Planning is really about finding newer ways of getting consumers to volunteer engagement with brands. 224 social media strategy 225 i think planning should be holistic, not channel specific. so as planners, we need to see a bigger picture and have bigger ideas. 226 n/a 227 I am not a digital planner. I see no difference. It's like a creative saying he/she can only do TV. Digital planner is outdated and unnecessary. 228 Not One. Believe good ones, like good 'anything' planners are mostly independent of medium, but they hopefully understand better digital creatives way of working and sources of inspiration. Probably better at consumer journey stuff too. 229 I am not a digital planner, but I believe they specifically look at consumer behavior online. 230 I work in all mediums. I think Digital Planners are planners who specialize in online, social media, mobile, etc. 231 Nope. I think it's similar in many respects to traditional planning, except approached more from a perspective of planning non-linear experiences than planning linear messages 232 I don't know how their job/process is different but would like to know. 233 I'm not. They seem to do the same thing but seem to know more about the specifics of digital, and the lingo. 234 NA 235 I am not a digital planner. I believe they focus with consumers in the online space and those specifically related to digital media. 236 digital planners architect stories and work with connections planners and creatives to architect ideas. 237 I am not a digital planner but I am capable of providing ideas and feedback to creative and clients re new technologies and how they can be integrated into our brands' discourse. I imagine digital planners being able to provide a mix of conceptual+tech ideas; not being one myself, I am short of tech-related answers. 238 We're all having to be digital planners these days 239 I work as a digital planner on some of my accounts and the difference is understanding user behavior and interaction in the online space vs user behavior in the world. Relationships and expectations online are different online vs in person. 240 i am not a digital planner. i think they may specialize in reaching an audience through digital/web related channels. 241 Not one, but work with them. They really think about how to make brand communication a conversation. 242 Not a digital planner. Think they do everything the same but online is their only medium. 243 I do digital in addition to broadcast and I would say that it's more accurately 'interactive' planning. Day-to-day, that means taking into consideration more of the context than the content of the problem. 244 Are those very in-touch with the digital environment. I do not consider myself to be one. 245 planning in the digital culture 246 nOT DIGITAL PLANNER ALTHOUGH I AM INVOLVED IN DIGITAL CAMPAIGNS, I AM HAVING TO LEARN VERY FAST BECAUSE THE MODEL IS A NON INTERRUPTIVE APPROACH TO PLANNING BUT IN MY OPINION IT IS STILL FUNDAMENTALLY BRAND PLANNING 247 No idea 248 Not a digital planner. But think their skill sets/personality need to be the same as other planners (i.e. curiousity, problem solving, research, etc.) but they need to have a stronger grasp of digital touchpoints and their roles in peoples' lives. 249 NA 250 the ripple effect? 251 nil 252 I'm not. I think they approach the brand strategy with a similar approach, they tend to solve the problems with different tools. 253 yes, i do digital planning. My specific focus is on how digital can be the primary medium of communication to a select target amd how, if possible, it can be integrated into a path to purchase i.e. measuring for digital can lead to actual purchase 254 na 255 I am not a digital planner - I think they are like any other planners, but just understand the medium a bit more. 256 They do pretty much the same as ordinary planners but they look primarily at the digital space and for digital solutions 257 not one, they do the same as traditional planners but for the digital discipline, 258 I think they're a lot more in tune with information architecture and user experience than your general practice planer 259 I am an
integrated
planner... with some digital reflexes 260 no interface design and flow insight & datas 261 I am NOT a digital planner. Not quite sure what they do. My belief is that planning always was media neutral. 262 digital planning with strong relation with other mediums, thinking in terms of through the line communication brand strategy planning Brand audit 263 No, I am not a digital planner. I guess they explore steps in consumer-to-computer interaction more closely and help their digital teams shape the experience in a best suitable way. 264 I am not a digital planner. I think at most creative agencies digital planners are responsible for identifying new communications trends and making sure that the agency is including them in its communication strategy 265 na 266 I'm not a digital planner. I think the job description of a digital planner is to think how the communication can be potentialized in digital territory, how we can enjoy better all the tools that the web can offer for us, beyond develop digital strategies. 267 not one 268 I'm not, but do some work with our digital department. It seems to me that the planning process is pretty similar (discovery + strategy + concepting + development), but the inputs/outputs are different. Digital life is more continuous, more complex. No need for an IA in a print ad, but you better have a good one for a full site. Understanding the language and the process is what separates digital planners from non-digital planners. 269 x 270 NA 271 not one. assume they understand how people use digital and how to best achieve your marketing goals 272 No idea, love to know. 273 - 274 I am not one. I think digital planners do the same that regular planners do, but keeping in mid that the main creative medium will be digital. 275 technical knowledge, basically 276 I am not a digital strategist and wish I could really see how they work. This is a side of planning that we have no strength in, and I'd love to get more exposure to true digital planning. 277 A strong digital planner should know how to to work the a User Experience expert (or better still, be one), in order to figure out the right IA for a site, ad plan etc. They should also be an expert at understanding how/when/why people use digital media and what technology is making possible. 278 i have interactive experience so can address some digital planning but don't have the bandwidth to spend time on measurement/analysis end of it, but I help on the strategic planning part for some smaller clients 279 A digital planner is a strategic thinker who’s planning for the future of digital and wants to work with big brands on big campaigns 280 I'm not a digital planner - I'd imagine they deal with web personas, blog/community analysis, etc. 281 Not one. I'm not sure what a digital planner is or why you would have one. particularly if you are media neutral. 282 Not one. Proactively develop digital strategies, ideas and solutions to engage with brand online/social media. Must be familiar with digital project requirements/technologies to work directly with interactive teams - information architecture, frameworks, creativity, etc. 283 I am a planner that specialises in both general consumer and digital consumer insights. Do the same job roles that planners do, just with a focus on digital and how different groups consume digital. Eg. Digital circuits of teenagers, reasons and insights behind why people really go on Facebook 284 i'm not a digital planner. however, i think the role of a digital planner to understand how people navigate through the online world and figure out how to best connect with them through channels, properties, etc. digital planners also need to be strong in general web analytics and metrics. 285 Cross discipline planning - having to work with DRM, advertising and activation in one place. 286 Not a digital planner. A digital Planner makes communication works through digital medium 287 Nope. See
planning
+ consumer online/social identities. 288 I am not one. Digital planners look at sociological implications of interaction with digital media. Not just the internet, but how it involves itself with the phone, and any other personal held devices. 289 Digital planners create strategies and bring forth ideas to promote the brand through digital media i.e. web, blogs, social media, viral, podcast, sms, - its effective utilization of web2, and reaching out the customers in a way that they are interested, inspired, conversant, and spread the word of mouth reputation and brand value. 290 xx 291 I am not. I think that digital planners are planners that know more about brand behaviors in the digital (online, mobile, etc) world. 292 i am not a digital planner. I think they do more or less the same job, in a different context of exploiting brand opportunities in the virtual/digital world. 293 I think digital planners are similar to engagement planners except that the expertise is just dialed towards digital more. 294 digital planners best leverage digital platform to provide strategic communication solutions, in a world where the internet is the strongest glue 295 Not one. Digital planners? Understand the digital paths individual consumers/segmented groups make e.g. as the travel making consumer/category/brand connections through mobile phones, pda's, websites, blogs, IM services etc... 296 I am a digital planner, specifically thinking outside of traditional channels and understanding that you can tap into live information that can shape activity both immediately as well as for longer term planning 297 I'm not - master the rapid evolution and bewildering complexity of the digital world and the way people are using it 298 Digital planners find insights from how people use the Internet and digital tools and media. As a result, they plan communication strategies using mostly digital channels. 299 grasping the bigger picture behind all the new digital technologies/possibilities (instead of running after each hype), knowing the way it changes the way people communicate with each other and with brands. Know the laws and rules of the new world and apply these to the brands you work on, finding the right balance in communication possibilities 300 I'm not. I think they should guide and give trust to advertisers in a domain they're usually not so familiar with. 301 n/a 302 I am not. Evaluate the relationship consumers hold wuth digital media and see how brands can introduce themseleves in this brandscape 303 xx 304 trend watching, and finding ways to engage people in a relevant and interesting way to them, through provision of content relevant to the brand - info through to entertainment 305 ---- 306 I am not a digital planner now, but was in the past and I am not sure it is that different - digital planners probably have more media knowlege in their area, but otherwise the skills needed and disciplines are very similar 307 I'm not. I think that the same thinking process applies whatever sort of planing you do - starting with people first. 308 I'm not convinced there is any such thing. What do we mean by
digital
? Isn't everything? 309 ? 310 I think digital planners analyse the different sites and approach internet has, stuty wich one is more relevant for the target, how do use it in a campaing, they also mesure real time (or something like this) the results and change plans when it's necessary. 311 i'm not a specific digital planner. I'm an integrated one. 312 Not one Don't get it 313 I'm not. think strategically about the digital world 314 ... 315 I am not. Develop the strategy for online activities 316 not a digital planner. should bring ideas, analysis on how to reach people, interact in the digital word. 317 Am not one. Digital strategy--both placement and campaign strategy 318 n/a 319 digital planners develop the stratety and brand positioning focused on the digital medias. due to that sometimes they have to replicate the brand's concept, developed by the ATL planners 320 - 321 - 322 -- 323 n/a 324 I'm not one,but i really don't belief in planner specialization at that level. Plus, we all need to be digital savy currently. 325 I´m not a digital planner. Digital planners are responsible for defining benchmarks and yet the communication coherence for online campaigns. They´re also responsible for metrics and ROI definition 326 not a digital planner. have worked with some and more and more i think that they we do the same thing as them in addition to all the traditional stuff. 327 i have issues with a digital planner vs a normal planner. It seems if we are after insight it should make no nevermind which label we have. I think not knowing to much about digital actually helps uncover some insights. 328 not a digital planner, looking to get into it though, got any leads? 329 Im not a digital planner 330 Traditional Planner. I think they understand the digital consumer experience and try to create ideas that may better fit the digital space. 331 I'm not one. I think they study and analise the web in order to discover new ways of interaction. He is a digital antropologist. 332 / 333 Not one- they bring the strategy to life in the digital space- more like contact/connection planners. 334 not one. better eye on digital space 335 not one. they understand the digital space and how it weaves itself into people's lives and how we as an agency can leverage this. 336 I'm not a digital planner. But I dont believe their job must be very different from mine. They probably have a bigger knowledge and contact with subjects such as in-gaming advertising or social networks. But that's because they have to, in order to operate a job that's supposed to be specific. On the other hand, I've always believed that planning can't afford to be specific. We need to be general and at the same time swim into specific waters, like digital. So I believe they have a more present role and a bigger responsability of doing what we're all supposed to. 337 I work for Naked, so as a media agnostic, I also work in digital. What is different about working strategically with digital is the migration towards product experience, product development and more overall business imperatives 338 I am not. My thought is they know the digital space inside and out. They also have a firm grasp on how and when people are interacting with digital. 339 I'm not a digital planner (wish I was though)-From what I've gathered from job listings, they're not planners with digital ideas, they're former developers with planning ideas. 340 I'm not a digital planner. In my understanding they are essentially internet usage strategists who ensure the web page best fits the targets needs. 341 i'm not. i think their greatest goal is to create relevant and compelling content though. 342 I am not a digital planner. I think view the social networks and the internet as the most important brand touchpoint for today's consumer. 343 I'm not a digital planner. I think they provide insights and strategies for client websites. 344 i am not. digital planner understand consumer, category and brand behaviour on line and plans strategies accordingly 345 I'm not one and I imagine they only plan for digital brands. 346 Digital planner - work closely with the director of interactive in developing social media strategies and program models. Also heavily involved in positioning exercises 347 I am not. they should be experts on how to leverage internet platforms to get target and brand to interact. 348 I'm not one and I think they're planners with a myopic attitude towards media and how people use the medium versus how people live life 349 Not one...I would think they handle digital accounts and concentrate mainly on web accounts 350 df 351 Not. 352 Not a digital planner. They're experts of the digital world and decide how to best integrate the campaign online. 353 am not a dig planner 354 x 355 Not one - brand, target, digital strategy 356 Not a digital planner. 357 I'm not a digital planner, but have to wear that hat sometimes at my agency. I feel digital planners know how consumers and brands live cohesively on the web and create interactive communications so that one may know that the other exists. 358 Not a
digital
planner, and frankly I don't know why anyone should be making such a distinction. 359 I'm not a digital planners. But they are now more needed than ever, cause the
new-medias
are the one who came to stay. 360 361 Not one, but I think the difference is that they pay more attention (not sole attention, but more attention) to consumers' interactive behavior to make better connections with the consumers. 362 most traditional, some digital. identify the digital communications types (search, display, email, rich media, etc.) and the media outlets/sites that will beswt the best ways to communicate with the client's target audience 363 I'm not a diigital planner. However, I think they're tasked with thinking in a different dimension, and bringing to life the
second
life consumers live on line. They're also working with a moving target, in the sense that the digital space is changing on a daily basis, and on top of that, a lack of tools/tracking capacilities. 364 just like traditional planners...they work in the digital space developing strategy and insight 365 off planner, creative briefing, brand strategy, brand positioning, advertising strategy 366 Not one of them. But I think they do a more tactical job, more than strategic. 367 provide insights behind how certain individuals use websites, why they use them that way and how developers should develop web experiences as a result 368 I worked like a digital planner and now i'm just a planner. In digital area, we have to understand how the people get involved with the brand and how we can touch them with online advertising. For this, we have to understand what they do on the internet. 369 not one, understand what consumers need from the digital world 370 I am not a digital planner. I think they specialize in understanding consumer digital behavior and how to best communicate with consumers in digital media. 371 I'm not. I think digital planners help agencies specifically understand the digital space and building participation among online communities. 372 I'm not one. I couldn't tell you the difference. Personally, I think planners should be able to speak all languages, and conneting with people is not tied to a particular media. 373 they talk a lot 374 I'm not one. They work with all the digital plataforms where a kind of communication can be insert. 375 Not a digital planner 376 I work in a agency that create and plan based in entertainment and content. It means that the target has to participate somehow with the campain. It usually happens when the target is at home, and the most simple way to make it happens is using the internet. Digital planners in here are supposed to create a way that the target can participate on-line. 377 I'm not one. I think they transform ad planning into digital, meaning they got it almost ready. 378 I am not one - the same type of thing but more savvy in the digital world 379 n/a 380 I hate that the interactive strategists are bumping into me in meetings. They have very different backgrounds and skill sets but because of the word 'strategist' people confuse us - all real planners should understand interactive behavior and attitude 381 382 I think they plan out online strategy based on trends and consumer segment. 383 ability to link behavior to attitudes and insights 384 I think they're shooting themselves in the foot by being too specialized from the first moment. 385 I am not. I assume they specifically find insights into how people are influenced online, and how they influence eachother. 386 Not a digital planner. Advise on digital strategy 387 . 388 Not one. Deep knowledge of digital tools and strategies allows them to bring ideas to life in this space or spark ideas from those tools/strategies. 389 im a traditional planner. digital planners are more focused with how consumers navigate, behave and think about online touchpoints. 390 Not one - Understand interaction with digital environments and how to improve brand experiences in said environment 391 - 392 Specialism 393 I'm not a digital planner and I don't really understand what's supposed to be different about digital planning. 394 * 395 Not one. Eventually planners should be able to deal with this b/c it's simply another channel. The rules aren't so different that we can't get it. 396 Knowledge of trends and the internet 2.0 397 - Digital social network creation, interaction and support. - Digital content for social influence and entertainment (WOM recommendation, seeding, perception shift) - social fuel. - Digital media planners are at the sharp end of Pay Per Click, Online Display Ad Media and email marketing. 398 Not one. They do the same thing for a particular medium. 399 I am not one. Our interactive planners develop a digital strategy that encompasses many new mediums - social networking, mobile, search, etc. They create a consistent way for brands to be represented in those spaces. 400 I'm not a digital planner. They search for trends and new tecnologies to improve the campains. They also manage the project and take care of the costumers view. 401 not one. seems odd to me as planning is not discipline specific. assume they plan for the digital world, social experience 402 not one -- take insight and translate into consumer behavior in the digital space 403 Research experience 404 I'm not. I don't think we need digital planners. Or any planners dedicated to a specific channel. 405 i am not one--develop 360 briefs that go across all touchpoints including media 406 I am not one, but I would imagine they apply the principles of account planning to guide the development of digital and interactive communications such as online viral campaigns, social media marketing, website development and basically monitor the effectiveness of online presence of their brands. 407 Understanding consumer behavior in digital space and developing strategies to achieve client objectives 408 i am not a digital planner and do not know how their job differs from a regular planner 409 not a digital planner; I assume we do many of the same things except that they have extensive knowledge in leveraging the brand in non-traditional environments to connect with consumers 410 - 411 Not specifically digital -- Digital Planners are develop strategies that only include digital consumer touchpoints. All Planners should be digital on some level. 412 Integrated communication through online tools, complementing the strategic shape of offline communication. 413 n/a 414 I think Digital Planning is strategically similar to planning in general...you have to have a good idea first and foremost and yes then you need to know the ends and outs of digital to get it executed well...but I think this gets overlooked when everyone gets so bent out of shape over things going digital 415 I did some heavy digital planning on Microsoft when I worked on that client. The more work I did, the more I realized the discipline doesn't inherently change. You ask the same questions and keep the customer at the center still-- you just think more about content and user flow in more concrete terms than we usually have the luxury to. All the digital planners I spoke with agreed that the fundamentals are essentially the same. 416 I am not one but am being asked to move in that direction. I have no idea how it's any different. Frankly, I feel like consumers are consumers regardless of where and how they are consuming media. 417 I'm not one, but I think they develop strategy. 418 I am not a digital planner. I'd imagine they work more specifically with the online consumer, social networking worlds, etc. 419 I am not a digital planner. But i think they are focused in online strategies. Where, why, how, when and WHO is on internet and what they do. Above all, how to connect to my target on line. 420 not a digital planner. not sure entirely, at our shop, they lean more into execution (like social networking strategy, complete with executional approaches.) They are more like media planners, making plans, not messaging strategy. 421 They specipically work with digital media. 422 I'm not a digital planner. Digital planning it’s not any different from the brand planning that has been around for 40 years now. What’s still important is the consumer, the context and the brand opportunity, then taking it to where that brand idea can play in experiences. Stephen King’s fundamentals in planning do not change for digital. Today’s realities of brand building take on different forms of expression in digital, but the foundation of brand building has not. 423 I am an all around planner. If they need me to work on digital then we work on a digital strategy. 424 I am not. I think they are more in tune with how users navigate the online world and how they world intertwines with thier offline universe. 425 no, I'm not... 426 Digital planners derive insights from online behaviors and interpret them for web strategies 427 2.0 428 no 429 Planning communication in web based context, facilitating interaction with that target audience at lower cost. 430 not striclty a digital planner, sometimes do. Ability to read into traffic datas and to use them creatively (kind of research 2.0) 431 I'm not a digital planner. I think that a digital planner has to understand first of all how the digital world works and its proper targets...just plan :) 432 Planning is planning. It has to be stick to new diciplines. Digital planners are anyway more expert about socila media and relative applications/trends/technology 433 Not a digital planner - they should analyse alla the digital data available, people's behaviours, digital market datas.... 434 I have no specific area of expertise. What might be interesting for you though is the fact that i come from a digital agency and I've been hired to bring a more global / digital overview on global subjects 435 seed planning, unconventional plan: finding new insight, new ways, new languages, new touchpoint to communicate with the audience (i prefer say
audience
rather than target because markets are conversations :-) 436 there shouldn't be a real difference, should it ? Same recipes, new media. 437 - 438 I'm not one. I think the basis of Digital Planning from a creative perspective is the same but they are probably more aware of the digital media opportunities that are available and probably better on the Digital Media Planning side. 439 Add Value not ads 440 I'm not. Thaye should know where's the people on the web and what are they talking about. 441 ... 442 I am not a digital planner. I think they help navigate among all of the different options in the digital space to find those that best reach the target with the right message in the right place. 443 Focus on consumers' use of digital format whether internet, signage, retail. 444 to me there's no digital planner... it's only about how to share your message in terms of media 445 No digital planner. What they do: Audience behaviour online, mapping out online campaign stories, delivering on online expertise in all relevant manners. 446 n/a 447 not one. I assume they focus only on digital media 448 Help string together all the right digital tools for the right online user/consumer. Bridge the gap between traditional planning and show how planning is important to the digital world. Digital world is not about tactics...and just how often does a planner really get to re-invent a brand from the ground up...may be twice a career. Those who say digital planners are just tactical execution drones...simply don't get it. Go back to your ethnographies. 449 Not a digital planner. I think they work with interactive. 450 Digital Planners are on Facebook all day. 451 All communication planning online. 452 I am not a digital planner. i think they focus on Social media strategies, experience optimization, analytics. 453 I'm a Communications Planner. Digital planners work related to digital areas (online vs. offline) 454 We don't separate digital from general planners. We are skilled in both areas 455 A sound understanding of the platform and determining the role digital play in the campaign 456 I am not a digital planner - but I think they do what traditional planners do - understand how to connect with consumers 457 Online planner should have knowledge of all existing and emerging digital channels and experience in the use of measurement and tracking tools within all digital channels, and incorporating results of these tools into Creative briefs and local cultural ‘roadmaps’. 458 They are responsible for initiatives that include electronic media/usage as main source of contact with the client. So, their job is to understand people as they are in the digital environment. 459 I am not; Engagement planning 460 I believe planning is a wiser job. All the planners should be digital, BTL, etc. 461 Not one; I think they concentrate on how consumers access and interact with technologies and determine at what moments they might be most receptive to our messages. Then it's a matter of figuring out how the client can translate to digital media (if at all) 462 not one. expertise in all aspects of technology and social/digital media and how people use/relate to or interact with all forms of digital media. then exactly the same as account planning. btw all planners should have this expertise. 463 Being a digital planner means you understand how to apply your strategic ideas to various media types. More importantly it's about knowing how to blend technology and creativity to deliver great campaigns. 464 na 465 I'm not one. They help make digital stuff. Deeper in the trenches than traditional brand thinking. 466 Not one--should be no difference other than media. 467 No. 468 I am a digital planner. We're different because we're connection planners, and the digital connection is where we live and breathe. 469 Not one. Understand and facilitate better than
generalists
the intersection point between strong brand messages/utility and cultural receptivity/interaction within the digital medium. 470 I'm not one. But it sounds like they map out the user experience? Something like information architects maybe. 471 I'm not. They plan how brands can connect to consumers or generate business by using digital tools. 472 They investigate online behavior and come up with solutions to create engagement in the online enviroment. 473 cultural 474 Aren't we all? We've all got to understand, be interested in how audiences interact. So architecture, UI, data are all important for us to get. 475 Sorta...I am a planner with digital and social expertise...i understand the channels and how to optimize ideas, how to coach brands to behave according to channel expectations, how to measure and assess the conversations, how to glean digital insights (data, behaviour, sentiment) that make our ideas better. Oh, and I still do focus groups and briefs for your billboard and TV, too. Ideally, I champion integration (but that is the biggest challenge (particularly with clients who have multiple agencies). 476 I'm not one. But I'm not so fond of the distinction. As planners, we are always observers/interpreters of human behavior seeking business-changing insights. A digital planner either limits his field of play (or preferably expands it!) to the cyber world. 477 I'm a hybrid. 478 I'm not. I consider classic and digital planning the same aera. it's about the evolution of our job. You cannot ignore it. 479 NA 480 muitas vezes... 481 Digital planners are the future of planning. The rest of us need to cross that chasm in a hurry and with credibility if we hope to keep up. 482 Digital planner: we analyze behaviors and the competitive/comparative landscape to help brands speak to people on the internet. 483 digital planners - I do a bit of this - lots of scoping, interviewing stakeholders, understanding users, etc. 484 I'm not at digital planner. 485 I'm not one. They are more like channel planners, but need to have all the same skills as traditional planners but with a real interest and knowledge of the digital world. 486 No. I believe digital planners understand Internet users and tailor communication strategies on the net to reach them effectivly. 487 I'm not a digital planner. Digital planners align the institutional concept of the brand shares with the digital concept(internet). They search options, news and strategies to talk to the specific target. They act in a more direct with the target (like promotional marketing). They're linked to trends and new things on the advertising market (and also outside the advertising market). They work the same way that traditional planning, but in a virtual environment, Always aligned with that concept of the brand. 488 Digital planners understand how people are motivated and behave against very specific units/triggers/things that only exist in digital environment. And they know both new entrants and natives 489 aren't one: focus on the digital arena and everything related to it: internet advertising, social media (facebook, twitter, etc.), blogs, etc. 490 I'm new to the field (1st job and 1st year as a planner), so I don't really know... 491 Am not one. Not sure how a digital planner would differ from a
traditional
planner, except maybe be a little more versed in online research methodologies, etc. 492 Not one. I think digital planners are responsible for the online communication. Finding ways to connect with the consumer. 493 I am not a digital planner. I don't want to guess what they do. 494 none 495 a 496 Presentation planner 497 Not one - work with understanding the digital marketplace, customer involvement online etc 498 i'm not a digital planner. i see them more as channel planners for the digital media. 499 - 500 I'm not a digital planner. Honestly, I think they do [or should do] exacly what we do, but work on a different plataform of execution. If digital world, the internet content, the 2.0 universe are made of people's ideas, why should it be different from the ordinary planning work? The difference from my point of view is: instead of thinking on tvc, print and radio spots, they think on interactive medias [considering its own dynamics]. By the other side, when you are a planner, shouldn't you consider the interactive medias as well as you consider all of other channels? I'm not sure if it's supposed to be different. I'd love to have a clarification. 501 Planning Brand 502 I am not a digital planner. The one in our team plans how to establish a conversation with the target customer. 503 no idea. tatical planning? 504 develop strategies just as traditional planners do - with consumer, competitive, cultural etc insights - but with an extra eye on the unique relationships people have with devices and the internet. (I am not a digital planner) 505 not digital 506 n/a 507 I'm not a
digital planner
, though I work a lot with digital. I think that if someone is only a
digital planner
, perhaps one is more of a
channel planner
. From my experience planners with titles like this tend to be less
strategic
-- which doesn't mean they are less useful. 508 The company I work for is small, so that we have to be envolved with all issues. 509 no comments 510 Consumer insight Tech savviness 511 I'm not one but I would imagine that they bring insight around consumer behavior in the digital world. 512 Not a digital planner. I would assume they would do exactly the same as regular planners but focused on the digital world. 513 Digital Planners - I am not one, but I've done some digital planning - must know which target segmentys go online, when, why. They have to establish the Purchase Path online, see the main influencer points and figure out the plan to go.. 514 no 515 I'm not a digital planner, but we have one in our Agency. I think a great digital planner is able to meld the general insight-creative development part of planning with the ability to translate that into usable parameters for a digital creative team, i.e. they have enough knowledge of how its produced to be able to prescribe the utility of digital executions 516 I could say I work as a digital planner, but in fact I don't think it should exclude the rest of the areas. 517 no 518 N/A 519 no 520 I´ not one of them, but I do media neutra strategies, so I am sometimes a digital planner. Same thinking, different tools, media and codes, but the strategy path is the same I reckon 521 I think search trends in the